Plans for a Tupolev Tu-334 production line at the MiG aircraft factory in Moscow have been dropped, and production will be concentrated in Kiev, Ukraine, and Samara, Russia.
MiG began assembly of its first Tu-334 in Moscow last year after production was transferred from the Tavia plant in Taganrog (Flight International, 2-8 May 2000). This production will now stop.
Aviant, which has already completed one aircraft at its Kiev factory, will conduct Tu-334 assembly and a second line has been laid down at Aviakor's plant in Samara. Aviant will build the 100-seat Tu-334-100, with Aviakor producing the larger 126-seat -200.
Tu-334 production could now be rationalised into a more efficient, Western-style system. This would see a single assembly line at the Aviastar plant in Ulyanovsk (which is linked to the Tupolev design bureau), with Aviant and Aviakor sharing production of subassemblies.
Source: Flight International